Featured Who Has Part in The First Resurrection?

There is nothing in Revelation that indicates the Church is no longer present during the events described in chapters 6-18. In fact as I have noted before:

"The argument is made that because the words church or churches do not appear after the completion of the third chapter of the Revelation, the Church cannot be present during the events described in the succeeding chapters. The word churches is used eleven times in Chapters 1-3, the word church is used seven times in these same chapters. The word church or churches does not appear again until Chapter 22, Verse 16. However, the term saints is used in Revelation 5:8; 8:3, 4; 11:18; 13:7, 10; 14:12; 15:3; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:8; and 20:9. The term redeemed is used in Revelation 5:9 and 14:3, 4. Both of these terms are characteristic of the Church, the Body and Bride of Jesus Christ when found elsewhere in the New Testament [Gregg, Revelation, Four Views, page 87]. The appearance of the churches again in Chapter 22, Verses 16 and 17 is interesting and informative.

Revelation 22:16,17, KJV
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Notice two things,

1. Jesus sent His angel to testify of these things in the churches, and
2. The Spirit and the Bride, the Church, give the invitation to come and take of the water of life freely.

These are strange statements to make if the Church is inconsequential during much of the period covered in Revelation; is gone during the tribulation period, and Jesus Christ rules with a ‘rod of iron’ during the millennium."

Now we examine the appearance of the words Israel or Jew in the Book of Revelation. The word Israel appears three times in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 2, 7, and 21; the word Jews appears only twice, Chapters 2 and 3, and there the reference is to false Jews. So we see that a reference to Israel appears only once during that part of the Book that is presumed to represent ‘the seven year tribulation’ and ‘Jacob’s time of trouble’. The first time the word Israel is used [2:14] the reference is to the false prophet Balaam and his role in the seduction of Israel enroute to the promise land. In Chapter 7 the name Israel is used in the discussion of the servants of God who are sealed. The next occasion [21:12] the name is used in the description of the New Jerusalem, the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ. Again, Israel is referred to only one time, and no reference is made to the Jews, during that period in which it is claimed that the Church is absent. Strange indeed is the absence of the words Jew or Israel in the 16 chapters of Revelation written specifically, according to dispensational theology, for them while in the remainder of the New Testament the words Jew or Jews occur 188 times and the words Israel or Israelite occur 73 times.

It is interesting to note that there are other books in the New Testament where the words church or churches are not used. The words do not appear in the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John. If one believes that the Church was not established until Pentecost, that is not necessarily unusual. It is interesting, however, that the book that many dispensationalists claim is the Gospel of the Kingdom [written by a Jewish believer who collected taxes for Rome] is the Gospel in which the Church is first proclaimed. The words church or churches are not mentioned in 1st & 2nd Peter, 1st & 2nd John, and Jude. Can we then argue the absence of the Church? The words are also absent from the first 15 chapters of Romans and occur only twice in Hebrews.

To show that the absence or presence of a word is not decisive consider the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. The editor of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible notes:The name of God does not appear in the book, while a heathen king is referred to over 150 times. There is no allusion to prayer or spiritual service of any kind with the possible exception of fasting. Does this absence of reference to God mean that He was absent or that the book of Esther should not be in the Canon? Obviously not. The book of Esther was written to show God’s watch care over His Covenant people through whom He would bring the Saviour into the world.

In conclusion, there are books in the New Testament in which the words church or churches are not mentioned. Therefore, the absence of the word church in Chapters 4-19 of the book of Revelation is scant justification to claim that the Church is absent during the period covered by these chapters. However, I believe the best argument against a pretribulation “Rapture” is contained in the proper interpretation of John 5:28,29.

Alan Johnson writing in the Expositors Bible Commentary, Volume 12, page 461 explains the absence of the word ‘church’ as follows: “the word church or churches always stands in Revelation for the historic seven churches in Asia and not for the universal body of Christ. Since 4:2-22:15 concerns the believing community as a whole, it would be inappropriate at least for John’s usage to find the narrower term ‘church’ in this section."

Walvoord, page 279, Major Bible Prophecies, writes: In the entirety of Revelation 4-18, no mention of the church on earth is found. Instead believers are referred to as believing Gentiles or believing Jews but never as the church. The total absence of any reference to the church is difficult to explain unless the pretribulationists are correct that the church is in heaven and not on earth during this period. However, as noted previously the word Jew is not mentioned in Chapters 4-19. The word Israel is mentioned only one time [Revelation 7:4]. The word Gentile is mentioned only one time [Revelation 11:2]. The word “redeemed” occurs only three times, one [Revelation 5:9] referring to the redeemed in Heaven, the remaining two in reference to the 144,000 on Mt Zion [Revelation 14:3, 4]. The word Saints occurs 13 times. Therefore, Walvoord’s statement that believers are referred to as believing Gentiles or believing Jews is not correct. In fact the words believer, believing, believe, or belief do not occur in the Book of Revelation.​

Continued.

 

Since the Holy Spirit is gone why will people come to their senses. In fact there are a number of verses in Revelation which indicate the following:

Revelation 9:20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Reevelation 16:9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Revelation 16:11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

That is a mile long stretch!

New Testament Scripture speaks specifically of two resurrections, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the general resurrection, John 5:28, 29. The fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is mentioned frequently in the preaching of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul gives some additional information related the general resurrections and the word resurrection is used in a number of places in the Gospels.

 

Revelation 20:1-6, KJV
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The initial vision presented in Revelation 20 does not follow chronologically the marriage supper of the Lamb, the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory, the battle of Armageddon, and the destruction of the beast and his followers, which was revealed in Chapter 19. Rather this vision recapitulates certain events associated with this present dispensation, which is that period from the incarnation until the return of Jesus Christ and His judgment of the quick and the dead [2 Timothy 4:1; , Revelation 20:11ff].

The interpretation of this passage provides the basis for the divergent millennial views regarding the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age. This chapter can be properly interpreted only if we understand what is meant by 1] the binding of Satan and 2] the first resurrection.

This angel that the Apostle sees is the same angel that opens the bottomless pit, at the sound of the fifth trumpet, to release a horde of locusts [Revelation 9:1-3]. The mission of the angel on this occasion is to bind the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan and seal him in the bottomless pit for one thousand years. Thus Satan is unable to deceive the nations any more until the thousand years are finished. How are we to interpret this vision?

We must understand that the vision is symbolic.

First: The chain and key are not a literal chain and key because these would be unable to restrain a spirit being like Satan. They are symbolic of the sovereignty of God over Satan.

Second: The thousand years is not literally one thousand years, rather they are symbolic of a complete period of time. The number ten or multiples of ten is used throughout Revelation, and other places in Scripture, to indicate such completeness. For example, the period of time the church at Smyrna must experience tribulation is ten days [Revelation 2:10], the servants of God who were sealed numbered one hundred forty four thousand people [Revelation 7:4] as did the number on Mount Zion [Revelation 14:1]. There are also the ten commandments, the ten plagues of Egypt, and the ten virgins, in each case the number is indicative of completeness. The one thousand years is the period of time from the binding of Satan until he is loosed a little season. This is the same period of time during which the souls of those who have part in the first resurrection will reign with Jesus Christ.

Third: It is not an angel that binds Satan but Jesus Christ]. Consider the following Scripture:

Matthew 12:24-29
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

John 12:30-32
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me.

Hebrews 2:14, 15
14. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

This binding does not mean that every evil act of Satan is precluded. However, the only power Satan has ever been able to exercise is under limitations imposed by God. This is particularly true when the people of God are involved [Job 1:6-12]. The binding of Satan, so that he can no longer deceive the nations, is simply a further restriction of the ability of Satan to deceive people and prevent the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

Jesus Christ triumphed over Satan in His life and in His death because the grave could not hold Him [Acts 2:23, 24]. The above passages speak of the defeat of Satan as an accomplished fact, which it is. However, his ultimate destruction awaits the return of Jesus Christ.

To be continued:

 

It must be acknowledged that Revelation 20:4-6 is avery difficult passage to interpret. This passage is the only place in the New Testament where a thousand year reign of Jesus Christ, popularly called ‘the millennial reign’, is mentioned and gives rise to the various views of the millennium, or the ‘millennial kingdom’.

In beginning the discussion of this passage I believe it can be conceded, although the passage is highly symbolic, that it teaches two resurrections, a ‘first resurrection’ is mentioned directly, a second resurrection is necessarily implied. The ‘first resurrection’ occurs prior to the beginning of a ‘one thousand year’ period, the ‘millennium’, in which Jesus Christ reigns; the second resurrection occurs at the end of this ‘millennial’ reign. We have discussed in the previous section the meaning and extent of this ‘one thousand year’ period. However, if we are to clearly understand this passage we must first understand what the Apostle sees.

First John sees thrones. These thrones are occupied but their occupants are not identified. Now we may conclude without doubt that these thrones represent power and those who occupy them have power, the power to judge.

Second John sees souls, the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands. Note that he does not see bodies but souls. Should one ask how John sees souls, recall that this is a vision, John sees what God chooses. Now it is true that in Scripture the word soul is often used to refer to living people, for example: in Acts 2:41 three thousand souls were added to the church, in Acts 27:37 there were three hundred and seventy six souls on the ship carrying Paul to Rome. In these passages souls is used as a figure on speech. However the context in Revelation 20:4 is different in that the word souls is not used as a figure of speech but refers to distinct entities apart from their associated physical bodies, i.e., the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. The souls that John sees are of those of deceased Saints[

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  that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
  
  and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands.

The passage reads as if John were speaking of only one group of people with multiple descriptions. However, since those beheaded for the witness of Jesus are included in those which had not worshipped the beast it is likely that he is describing all Saints of God.

We now know what John reportedly saw. In order to further understand what John is teaching in Revelation 20:4-6 we must now determine :

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  1. Who is sovereign, who is reigning on earth and throughout creation at the present time, Jesus Christ or Satan? If Jesus Christ is not reigning now when does that reign begin?
  
  2. What is the First Resurrection?
  
  3. Who are those who have part in the First Resurrection

1. Scripture is abundantly clear that Jesus Christ is sovereign now, is reigning now.

1 Peter 3:21-22, KJV
21 The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Ephesians 1:20-22, KJV
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,

Who is reigning with Him? The Apostle John sees souls, not resurrected bodies, and these souls are reigning with Jesus Christ. The souls that John sees are those of the Saints who have already died and are currently in the presence of and reigning with God the Son. That reign will extend until Jesus Christ returns to the earth in power and glory, symbolically represented by the ‘one thousand years’, an extended but definite period of time.


2. What does Scripture mean when it speaks of the ‘first resurrection’?

If we search the Scriptures, in fact if we search secular history, we will read of only one person who died and came to life never to die again. That person was Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul preaching before King Agrippa declares:

Acts 26:22,23, KJV
22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, [and] that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

Jesus Christ, in prophecy and in history, was the first and only one to rise from the dead to die no more. It is true that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, records accounts of people being raised from the dead:

• The son of the widow of Zarephath restored to life by the prophet Elijah[1 Kings 17:22].
  
  The son of the Shunammite woman restored to life by the prophet Elisha[2 Kings 4:35]..
  The dead man restored to life at the touch of Elisha’s bones [2 Kings 13:21].
  
  Jairus’ daughter restored to life by Jesus Christ [Matthew 9:25, Mark 5:22].
  
  The son of the widow of Nain restored to life by Jesus Christ [Luke 7:15].
  
  Lazarus of Bethany restored to life by Jesus Christ [John 11:44].
  
  The disciple Tabitha, or Dorcas, of Joppa [Acts 9:40] was restored to life by the Apostle Peter.
  
  The young man Eutychus [Acts 20:9-12] was restored to life by the Apostle Paul.

Although Scripture is silent about the further lives of these people, they did not have a resurrection body like that of Jesus Christ and they all died again consistent with Paul’s statement to King Agrippa. It is also true that Matthew 27:52,53 states that:

Matthew 27:52,53, KJV
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

However, there is absolutely no indication in Scripture that these Saints possessed a resurrection body like that of Jesus Christ and that they ascended to heaven. It is my belief that these bodies returned to the grave to await the general resurrection. We see from the following Scripture that Jesus Christ was the first resurrection and that there will be no further resurrection until He returns.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23, KJV
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

What is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the redemption of man and what does John mean when he writes: This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.

The Apostle Paul addresses the significance of the resurrection in his letter to the church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 15:17,18, KJV
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground of the ‘new birth’ [that which is spiritually dead is made alive] and is the surety of the bodily resurrection of the believer. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no hope for the ‘believer’, we are yet in our sins and those who are dead have perished. It is only because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that John can speak of those souls who sit on thrones. The resurrection of Jesus Christ validates the teaching that believers have passed from spiritual death into eternal life [John 3:16, 5:25, 11:25], who upon physical death will immediately go into the presence of the Saviour [Luke 16:22, Romans 14:8]. These souls, priests of God and of Christ, live and reign [2 Timothy 2:12, 1 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 3:21] with Jesus Christ from heaven during this present dispensation on the basis of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus the remark: This [is] the first resurrection.

To be Continued:

 

3. Who are those who have part in the first resurrection; why are they blessed and holy?

As noted above Jesus Christ, in prophecy and in history, was the first and only one to rise from the dead to die no more. Those who have part in the first resurrection are the elect of God, those who have been regenerated, who have been rescued from spiritual death, through the power of the Holy Spirit and are saved through the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John records the teaching of Jesus Christ regarding those who have part in the first resurrection as follows :

John 5:24-26, KJV
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

John 11:25, KJV
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

In these passages the Lord is, in effect, teaching the rebirth, the spiritual resurrection, of the believer. The soul that undergoes this ‘rebirth’ can never die, will never experience the ‘second death’. There are some who believe that this spiritual rebirth is the ‘first’ resurrection indicated in Revelation 20:4-6. The spiritual rebirth is the an event that takes place during this life of those who are chosen to salvation. Therefore, this interpretation does not satisfy either the context or the content of the passage.

I say again: Those who have part in the ‘first’ resurrection are the elect of God, those who are redeemed to Him through faith in resurrected Saviour. Blessed and holy indeed are those who have part in the first resurrection.

• Blessed because they are heirs and joint heirs of God with Jesus Christ [Romans 8:17]. Theirs is an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away [1 Peter 1:4].
  
  Holy through of the righteousness imputed to them through Jesus Christ. They have been set apart, sanctified, through the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:11].
  
  Over these the second death has no power, rather theirs is life eternal [John 3:14-16, John 17:3, Romans 6:23].

The Apostle Paul writes of the spiritual resurrection, regeneration, or spiritual rebirth, as follows:

Ephesians 2:4-7, KJV
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

When we were ‘dead in sins’, spiritually dead, God made us alive together with Jesus Christ and raised us up to sit with Him in heavenly places, a spiritual resurrection. There is a sense in which the believer now sits in heavenly places with the Saviour, that is, the spiritual communion between the believer and the Father through Jesus Christ. This promise is further realized in the death of the believer and will be fully realized when redemption is complete with the resurrection of the body. However in the meantime while the deceased saints await the resurrection of the body John tells us: Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

 

The Book of Revelation is a very complex Book in my opinion. In fact the Book of Revelation may be the most difficult book in the Bible to understand. Some years ago I taught through the Book of Revelation. In studying I came to believe that the Book of Revelation presents a number of pictures of the Second Coming from three to seven. I came to believe that there are seven as I have discussed elsewhere. During my study I came across the following which I believe most appropriate:

John P. Newport writing in The Lion and the Lamb [page 38] quotes Gordon Fee as stating: ....no one should approach Revelation without a proper degree of humility. There are already too many books on ‘Revelation made easy.’ But Revelation is not easy!

The study of the Book of Revelation is one in which many appeal to extrabiblical helps. However, we should approach any book about the Second Coming and The Revelation with a degree of skepticism. The reason is that there is probably less consensus in the Christian community about the Second Coming and the interpretation of the Book of Revelation than anything else in Scripture, at least among those who believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. I would also note that the book by Newport, a covenant or historic premillennialist, contains some useful information about the Book of Revelation

There is another section of Revelation where the discussion centers around a "Mighty Angel" and the "Little Book" that elicits differing opinions as to whether the Mighty Angel is Jesus Christ or an angel.[Revelation 10:1ff] Further evidence at least to me that the angel who binds Satan is in reality Jesus Christ, other then the Scripture I quoted, is the following Scripture:

Jude 9. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

I believe the beast of Revelation is the secular power in the world that has always been opposed to God. That secular power can take many shapes. I sometimes think that the multinational corporations might be considered a form of the beast. Certainly Communism was a manifestation of the beast. I see the false prophet, not as the apostate church, but as the religious power associated with the beast. Islam actually is both a secular power and a religious power just as the Holy Roman Empire. The Apostle Paul told us about 2000 years ago that there were many antichrists in that time. There have always been antichrists. I suppose both the beast and the false prophet could be called antichrists. I believe that the apostate church will be the bride of the beast, the antichrist, just as the True Church is the chaste Bride of Jesus Christ.

Well said!

 

Thanks Aaron. You have a gift of providing succinct answers to sometimes laborious remarks!